[Video] Nehru Cup 2012

Sure you love to watch the videos, India's road to the glory, Nehru Cup, for the third time in succession!

Hey, catch the match actions in pictures here...

Match 2

25 Aug, 2012: India 3 Vs Maldives 0 

Match 1 

22 Aug, 2012: India 2 Vs Syria 1

Nehru Cup 2012: Road to victory

Preparation for AIFF's Platinum Jubilee Nehru Cup suffered a jolt when the venue was shifted from Jaypee Greens Atlantis, Greater Noida to Bangalore Football Stadium owing to incessant rains across the region. The camp started in Bangalore from Friday, August 3, 2012.  

Read a brief camp report and enjoy the camp pictures from here...

gcsstars.com met Coach Wilhelmus ‘Wim’ Jacobus Koevermans on a day when India’s FIFA ranking hit a new low of 168, and India was the ranked lowest among other participating teams - Cameroon (59), Syria (147), Maldives (161), Nepal (162), India (168)

Definitely, task cut out, coach!

Team went back to its base in Delhi for a final round-up. 

The Indian players train at the Jaypee Greens

The Indian National Team during a practice session

Wim Koevermans makes a point to his team during the morning practice session at the Jaypee Greens

Wim Koevermans makes a point during a practice session

Slice of action from team India's practice session

Sunil Chhetri and Wim Koevermans at a pre-tournament press conference

Match 1 

22 Aug, 2012: India 2 Vs Syria 1

Francisco Fernandes gets past Syria's Alaa Alshbbli

Subrata Pal thwarts a Syrian attack during India's first match in the Nehru Cup

Mehtab Hosain intercepts against Syria

Match 2

25 Aug, 2012: India 3 Vs Maldives 0 - Maul past Maldives

Syed Rahim Nabi heads in India's first goal against Maldives in the Nehru Cup

Sunil Chhetri is being congratulated by his teammates after puttin India in the lead

Syed Rahim nabi is being congratulated by his teammates after scoring India's second goal

Match 3

28 Aug, 2012: India 0 Vs Nepal 0 

Robin Singh in action against Nepal

Lenny Rodrigues runs past the Nepal defence

Mehtab Hossain initiates an Indian attack against Nepal

Match 4

31 Aug, 2012: India 0 Vs Cameroon 1

Clifford Miranda and Jewel Raja initiate an Indian attack against Cameroon

Syed Rahim Nabi breaks through the Cameroon defence

Final

2 Sep, 2012: India 2 (5) Vs Cameroon 2 (4) 

Starting lineup against Cameroon Nehru Cup Final

 

Gouramangi Singh puts India in the lead against Cameroon

Champions Nehru Cup 2012

Team Celebration with Coach

Entire team including support staff with Nehru Cup

[Video] 1984 Nehru Cup India Vs Argentina

That famous match in the winter of Calcutta displayed by the indomitable Ćirić Milovan's boys, where we almost pulled out the match. 79', and Ricardo Gareca scored the only goal in an otherwise well fought game.

 

Nehru Cup - then and now

Okay, a lot has been told, reported, revealed, posted, and tweeted about Nehru Cup. However, looks like we’ve forgot the glorious past of this tourney, which was once touted as the best football tournament in Asia!

Can you actually tell which edition of Nehru Cup is starting today? Well, 15th it is for the statistically inclined folks.

Jorge Burruchaga and Nery Pumpido members of FIFA World Cup winning team have blessed Nehru Cup. Off-course Carlos Bilardo, Argentine, the great coach, World Cup winner! Who can forget the skills of other world cuppers Francescoli, Rinat Dasayev, and László Kiss. 

Nehru Cup has definitely lost its sheen, especially of the early years, the 80’s, but then while playing as a host, who doesn’t want to take a chance to improve FIFA rankings. 

And this time, the defending champion is the lowest ranked amongst the participating teams.

Cameroon (59), Syria (147), Maldives (161), Nepal (162), India (168)
 

Best of luck, India, go for it!

[The following article originally written for IndianFootball.Com during the 2009 edition]

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Thursday, August 13, 2009

Drama revolving around Nehru Cup

As India gets ready to defend their title for the Nehru cup, the tournament has now reduced to a mere 5-team competition.

At first, it was Thailand who expressed their inability to send their senior team and requested the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to include their under-19 team for the tournament. However, AIFF rejected the idea, and roped in Palestine as the sixth team.

Now there was more twist in the tale - Palestine Football Association Association had different ideas, rather than fielding their full strength national squad they decided to field a club team. Quite understandably, AIFF dropped the Palestine team from the tournament.

This is an absolute insult to the tournament, which was once regarded as the best football tournament in Asia and ranked 18th in the World.

Nehru Cup was launched in 1982 with much fanfare. In the 80s, Nehru Cup truly lived up to its potential. Football lovers in India got a chance to see quality football from Argentina, Uruguay, Russia (erstwhile USSR), Poland, and Hungary.

World Cuppers like Enzo Francescoli (Uruguay, 1982), Jorge Luis Burruchaga (Argentina, 1984), Neri Pompidou (Argentina, 1984), Laszlo Kiss (Hungary, 1984), Rinat Dasayev (Russia) displayed their football skills in India.

India, though, most of the time was in the receiving end, but played some exemplary football against the tough opponents - against Uruguay in 1983, Argentina in 1984, and Poland in 1988.

Under the tutelage of great Yugoslav coach Ciric Milovan, India perhaps played the best ever football against Argentina in 1984. India was successful in defending the Argentine attack till the 79th minute. World Cup winning coach, Carlos Bilardo, coached the Argentine team. Apparently, it was the same team that formed the nucleus of the successful World Cup campaign in 1986. The Argentina team in the 1984 Nehru Cup had World Cuppers like Jorge Luis Burruchaga, Neri Pompidou, and Sergio Batista.

Another unforgettable match was against the mighty Poland team in 1988. Amal Dutta's team was dominating the proceedings and was leading by a goal in the first half. Poland somehow managed to level score at the later part of second half.

In the 90s, Nehru Cup started loosing its sheen as AIFF settled for relatively lesser known teams. Nehru Cup was an annual event till 1989, later it became a biennial event due to scarcity of funds. The tournament was shelved after 1997 owing to lack of sponsorship and other matters. The tournament resurfaced in 2007 as ONGC Nehru Cup.

It was our current national coach Bob Houghton’s influence that helped to revive the Nehru Cup in 2007 and India emerged victorious. However, the revived version had less ranked teams. Most people had seen this more of a deliberate ploy as to improve FIFA rankings. Rather than fighting and going down to the high-ranked teams, one would expect India to win against teams similar or lesser in FIFA ranking.

Teams like Thailand (117) and Palestine (177) does not have great FIFA rankings, yet AIFF has failed to plan and make use of the FIFA international calendar.
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Nehru Cup 2012: Koevermans has task cut out

Hardly a few days in his office, Wilhelmus ‘Wim’ Jacobus Koevermans is on the task of retaining the Nehru Cup. And this time, the defending champion is the lowest ranked amongst the participating teams. 

Cameroon (59), Syria (147), Maldives (161), Nepal (162), India (168)

A tête-à-tête with our newly appointed football coach Wim Koevermans on a day when India’s FIFA ranking hits a new low of 168. 

Ouch, how perilous!

GardenCity Soccer Stars (GCSS): How is it going coach?

Wim Koevermans (WK): It has been going good, weather is excellent, boys are doing their bit, and they are enjoying the training stint here in Bangalore. 
 

GCSS: What was the first thing that stuck in your mind when you took the assignment (of coaching the senior India team)?

WK: It has been hardly any time, however, few areas needed immediate attention, especially, defense. Another important area mid-field, we’re working on it and giving special attention in these areas. Also, giving stress on pressing football.
 

GCSS: There was a last minute change from Noida to Bangalore. Has this shift hampered your preparation?
WK: As you all know the change was due to rain, where we have hardly any control. It is always better to practice smoothly in an away location rather than a close location, which would frequently interrupt our training.
Talking about the climatic change, I don’t think that will matter much. 
 

GCSS: You’ll be playing Nehru Cup in natural turf but the Bangalore Football Stadium turf is artificial, you think that would a major factor?
WK: No, not at all! This is a very good turf and our players have enough experience playing in this kind of turf. Also, not to forget that we’ll have a good five days to practice in natural grass turf after August 16, just before the start of Nehru Cup.
 

GCSS: Just when I talk to you, India has gone down 5 notches, per the latest FIFA ranking India is 168. How do you think about your opponents in Nehru cup, especially Cameroon?
WK: Cameroon is off course a very powerful team. I’m told that they’re sending a team based on the home players, which itself is a strong team.
As I’ve said earlier, our immediate goal is to win the Nehru Cup. Ranking of the other teams are pretty close, we should be able to beat them.